Sixers lose to Pistons, finish 8th in East

Apr 27, 2012 - 4:19 AM
Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Ben Gordon made seven straight three-
pointers in the second quarter and the Pistons concluded their season with a
108-86 rout of playoff-bound Philadelphia.

The 76ers could have clinched the Eastern Conference's seventh seed with a win
and a Knicks loss to Charlotte, but rested most of their regulars and fell to
the eighth spot. They will face the top-seeded Bulls when the playoffs begin
on Saturday.

Spencer Hawes scored 16 to pace Philadelphia, which ended the regular season
with a 35-31 record.

"After the slide we went on, to be able to right our ship, we're glad with
where we ended up and to have an opportunity to go back to the playoffs, even
though it is as the eighth seed," said Hawes.

Gordon finished with a game-high 26 points and Rodney Stuckey added 13 for the
Pistons, who concluded their season with a 25-41 mark. They haven't made the
playoffs since 2008-09.

Ben Wallace, playing perhaps his final game in the NBA, had seven points and
a season-high 12 rebounds for Detroit.

"Do I think it's time for me to retire? Yea," said Wallace. "But people are
asking me to come back. Obviously they see something in me that I don't see in
myself right now."

Detroit led 26-15 after the first but truly took control in the second behind
Gordon's flawless shooting. His seventh trey of the quarter, a catch-and-shoot
25-footer, came before the midway point and had Detroit up 52-28.

The Pistons tied an NBA record for most made threes in a quarter by sinking 11
in the second. Gordon's seven three-balls in the period is a Pistons team
record.

The 76ers finally set about stopping Gordon, consistently sending double teams
his way, and Charlie Villanueva proved the benefactor. The forward made three
treys -- all assisted by Gordon -- before the end of the quarter, helping
Detroit to a 65-43 lead at the break.

The 76ers failed to cut into their deficit in the second half and the Pistons
matched their largest lead -- 28 points -- in the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

The 76ers are in the playoffs for the second straight season and the fourth
time in five years...They rested starters Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and Jrue
Holiday and key reserves Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams...Philadelphia won
the season-series, 3-1...Wallace mentioned during the season that he would
retire after the 2011-12 campaign. He is a four-time Defensive Player of the
Year, a four-time All-Star and won a title with the Pistons in 2004.